HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Softball team closes American Athletic Conference play and the 2018 regular season with a three-game series against Memphis starting Friday.

The series will serve as "Senior Weekend" at Cougar Softball Stadium with the Cougars recognizing one of their three seniors prior to each game. De'Zha Scott will be honored pregame Friday, with Mariah Garcia and Kaylin Crumpton to follow on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition, Houston will grant free entry to any kid 12 & under who shows up wearing their baseball/softball jersey, as well as have $5 tickets for their parents. Youth team coaches can also register their team(s) by emailing Sara Crutcher at sacrutch@central.uh.edu.

With softball, baseball and track & field at home, Houston Athletics is making it easier than ever to attend multiple sporting events. For more details on how to see all three Cougar programs in action, click here.

SINGLES
 Houston, which is 32-19 overall and 10-8 in The American, is coming off a 2-1 series win at UConn, bookending the series with 8-0 (five innings) and 4-0 shutouts. Prior to the series, the Cougars split a doubleheader with then No. 19/20 Baylor.

 For their efforts last week, sophomore third baseman Sarah Queen was named The American Player of the Week and junior pitcher Savannah Heeber was tabbed to The American Weekly Honor Roll. Queen led the Cougars with a .438/.625/.500 slash, finishing 7-for-16 with three doubles, one walk, four RBI and four runs scored, while Heebner posted a 3-0 record in the circle, compiling a 1.11 ERA with two shutouts across 19 innings pitched. Heebner recorded one walk to 19 strikeouts, including 10 in the series-clinching win at UConn on Sunday, in addition to her win against the nationally-ranked Lady Bears.

 With three wins last week, Heebner improved to 22-8 on the season. Her 22 wins and 11 shutouts break her tie with Amanda Crabtree (2011) in both categories for the third all-time at Houston in a single season. Overall, Heebner has 46 career victories, a mark which ranks fifth all-time in program history.

 On the season, the Cougars are outscoring the opposition, 228-132.

 Houston leads The American in hit by pitch (47), while Crumpton holds the top individual mark with 20, tied for seventh in the NCAA. Sophomore second baseman Arielle James (13) and junior catcher Brooke Vannoy (6) rank second and tied for seventh in HBP in the conference, respectively.

 Entering the weekend, sophomore second baseman Arielle James is tied for the conference lead in doubles (12). She and Queen are tied for third in hits (59). Queen also ranks third in slugging percentage (.589), fifth in batting average (.373) and tied for fifth in home runs (8) and sixth in RBI (34).

 In the circle, Heebner leads the Cougars with a 22-8 record and 1.10 ERA. Heebner's ERA leads The American and sits 13th in the NCAA, while her total wins rank third in the conference and tied for 13th nationally. On the season, she has tossed 11 shutouts, a mark that is tied for second in the nation. Heebner also leads the league in opponent batting average (.200). Pitchers Presley Bell (4-3) and Trystan Melancon (6-8) have 2.07 and 3.07 ERAs, respectively. The staff carries a 1.82 ERA, a mark that leads The American and sits 18th in the NCAA.

 Prior to the season, Houston was tabbed second in The American Preseason Coaches' Poll, garnering two first-place votes.

The Last Meeting

Houston

8

Memphis

2

April 29, 2017
Memphis, Tenn.

Cougars Beat Memphis in Series Finale
The University of Houston Softball team downed Memphis, 8-2, to clinch the American Athletic Conference series, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at Tigers Softball Complex.

ON THE OPPONENT
 Houston is 30-10 all-time against Memphis and 14-1 when hosting the Tigers.
 Memphis enters the weekend with a 36-17 overall record and is tied with Houston for third in The American with a 10-8 mark.
 The Tigers lead The American and rank 22nd in the nation with a .312 batting average. Memphis is also second in the league, behind Houston, with a 2.21 ERA.
 Kyler Trosclair (.404) and Baylee Smith (.397) rank first and second in The American in batting average. Trosclair also holds the top conference mark in hits (72), while Smith leads the team in RBI (36).
 In the circle, Molly Smith is 24-7 and owns a 1.70 ERA. Her 24 wins rank third in the nation, while she is tied with Heebner in the national ranks with 11 shutouts.
 Memphis is led by seventh-year Head Coach Natalie Poole, who is 489-514 in 17 years as a head coach.
 The Tigers were picked sixth in The American Preseason Coaches' Poll.

ON DECKFollowing the series, the Cougars open postseason play with The American Championship across May 10-12 at USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

COUGAR SOFTBALL STADIUM UPGRADES
Thanks to a record year for the Diamond Club, Houston Softball announced the addition of an LED, Daktronics video board (completed) and indoor practice facility as major upgrades to Cougar Softball Stadium.

According to Daktronics, the new outfield video board is the sixth largest at an on-campus softball stadium in the country and the second largest in the state of Texas. The board, which sits just beyond the left-field wall, stands 29-feet-3.1-inches tall and measure 24-feet-4.0-inches wide with 576 square feet of space (24-feet by 24-feet) for live video, instant replays, statistics and scoring information, graphics and animations, and sponsor messages. The display features a 13HD pixel layout for crisp, clear imagery for a great view from every seat at the stadium.

The indoor facility, which will replace the current batting cage down the right-field line, will measure 70-feet by 80-feet. The 5,600-square-foot space will feature five batting cages, measuring 60-feet long by 15-feet wide each, with retractable nets for the space to be used in a variety of ways. The facility will have a synthetic turf floor and will be temperature controlled.

In total, the two capital projects represent $1.2 million in upgrades.

SHASTA PASS
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is once again proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2017-18 season. For just $80, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Volleyball, Soccer, Women's Basketball and Softball home games.

The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial saving as single-game tickets start at $5 for all four sports. To purchase a Shasta Pass, call 713-GO-COOGS or CLICK HERE.

JOIN DIAMOND CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Softball program by joining the Diamond Club. To find out more information about the Diamond Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH. For more information, CLICK HERE.